Circuit breakers are designed to have an interrupting rating capacity (also called a service breaking capacity or ICS) that specifies a maximum theoretical current that the circuit breaker is rated to handle in a repeatable and safe manner that does not cause damage to the physical or operational integrity of the circuit breaker. For example, a circuit breaker can have a service breaking capacity (or interrupting rating) of 20 kA at a maximum voltage of 690V. But this rating capacity is not adequate for installations with high current availability, such as marine, buildings, or information technology installations, which can have a current availability up to 100 kA at a maximum voltage of 690V. For these installations, a single 20 kA circuit breaker cannot be used without violating applicable standards. However, in some installations, for example in marine installations, space constraints limit the maximum physical dimensions of a circuit breaker that can be installed. If the current rating is increased from 20 kA to 100 kA, the circuit breaker would still need to meet or exceed stringent standards, such as promulgated by IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) and UL (Underwriters Laboratories), concerning mechanical strength, dielectric withstand, and temperature rise performance requirements. The conventional way to support a higher interrupting rating is to increase the size of the circuit breaker components to handle the higher current levels, which in turn increases the overall size of the circuit breaker. But increasing the overall size of the circuit breaker is undesirable in space-constrained installations. What is needed is an improved circuit breaker design that allows the circuit breaker to perform interruption at a higher interrupting rating while complying with all relevant standards without increasing the physical dimensions or weight of an otherwise lower-rated circuit breaker.